This supplemental proposal is Jackson State University's (JSU) request to continue the development of excellence in interdisciplinary biomedical research. In accordance with the University's goal to foster a research environment of excellence, support is requested for three faculty members to conduct competitive research. Support from this program will enable JSU to (a) improve and expand the institution's biomedical research capability; (b) increase the number and further develop minority faculty expertise in biomedical research; (c) increase the number and quality of papers submitted by faculty for publication in refereed journals; and (d) increase the number of proposals submitted for funding. Biomedical investigations will be conducted in the following areas: computational chemistry (Dr. Jerzy Leszczynski - Department of Chemistry), chemical physics (Dr. Tigran Shahbazyan - Department of Physics) and environmental toxicology (Dr. Paul Tchounwou - Department of Biology). Facilities for the management of research activities which will house the SCORE Program will be provided through the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (formerly School of Science and Technology). Also, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology will provide multi-user core laboratories for faculty research. [unreadable] [unreadable]